(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The sailors aboard Fath Al Khair 2, the dhow that set sail yesterday from Katara Beach to the Indian Port of Mumbai, would be using advanced navigation equipment only in the event of any emergency, captain Hassan Essa al-Kaabi told Gulf Times.
A 30-member team of Qataris, consisting of 16 experienced sailors, dhow repairers, cooks and other technicians who left on a "Historic 44-day voyage," were given a touching farewell from a specially-erected enclosure near Gate 16 of the Katara beach, amidst singing of traditional Qatari folklore music by a group.
Al-Kaabi, who had earlier taken out similar voyages in other dhows to destinations of this region said the dhow is mechanised and has GPS and other satellite equipment to support their requirements. "However, we would sail depending on the wind conditions prevailing in the sea," explained al-Kaabi while disclosing that the dhow is capable of loading up to 250 tonnes of materials on board.
The sailor said the boat has on board four small life boats which could be used by team members in the event of an emergency. Each of these boats is capable of accommodating 16 people at a time.
As Fath Al Khair was berthed more than 200m away from the Katara shores on account of the shallow waters near the beach, the sailors boarded two smaller boats to reach the dhow.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.